BILL ANALYSIS SB 1277 SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY Senator S. Joseph Simitian, Chairman 2007-2008 Regular Session BILL NO: SB 1277 AUTHOR: Maldonado AMENDED: March 24, 2008 FISCAL: Yes HEARING DATE: April 7, 2008 URGENCY: No CONSULTANT: Caroll Mortensen SUBJECT : SYNTHETIC TURF SUMMARY : Existing law : 1)Requires all new playgrounds open to the public to meet specified health and safety requirements. 2)Establishes the California Tire Recycling Act (Public Resources Code 42870 et seq. ). The Act requires the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) to initiate a tire recycling program that promotes and develops alternatives to the landfill disposal of used tires. This bill : 1) Defines synthetic turf to mean any composition material that includes crumb rubber used to cover or surface a field as an alternative to grass. 2) Requires the Department of Public Health (DPH) by September 1, 2010 to prepare and make available to the public a study on the best management practices for the maintenance of synthetic turf, including cleaning practices to prevent the spread of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other bacteria. COMMENTS : 1)Purpose of Bill . According to the author, synthetic turf is growing in popularity due to numerous benefits. The fields SB 1277 Page 2 require no mowing, watering, fertilizing, seeding, aerating, pesticides or expensive maintenance equipment. However, a dangerous disadvantage of synthetic turf is the possible spread of MRSA, bacteria and other organisms. The New England Journal of Medicine, Clinical Infectious Disease Center and a long list of clinical hospital studies have long supported the fact that MRSA bacteria can survive on and be transferred by inanimate objects in the environment from towels, to garments, athletic equipment and polyethylene (a plastic used in synthetic turf fibers). 2)What is Synthetic Turf? Synthetic turf is the next generation of artificial turf. It more closely resembles natural turf and is much different that the 'astroturf' of old. Most synthetic turf installed today is a layered system that includes a drainage layer, a backing system, and 'grass blades' that are infilled to resemble natural turf. The filler is a soil-like substance created with sand and/or granulated recycled tire rubber or other materials that provide the necessary stability, uniformity, and resiliency. The popularity of synthetic turf results from the benefits of providing a consistent year-round, all-weather playing surface built to withstand extended use without downtime for poor weather. It is low maintenance; it does not have to be mowed; nor does it need water for irrigation, pesticides or fertilizers. The use of synthetic turf goes beyond just sports fields. It is being used by local governments to replace traditional turf near roadways and medians and around public buildings. It is also growing in popularity as an alternative to traditional residential lawns. With estimates that indicate about one half of the residential water use is for irrigation of lawns, the potential for synthetic turf as a substitute for traditional lawns is increasingly attractive. 3)Tires and Turf . According the CIWMB, used tires pose a serious health and safety threat and a severe environmental hazard. It is estimated that Californians will purchase almost 200 million tires over the next 5 years, increasing the threat used tires pose if they are not properly managed. Currently about 75% of used tires are diverted from landfill disposal. The IWMB's goal is 90% diversion by 2015. SB 1277 Page 3 Used tires are a resource that can be used in place of new materials. Used tires are in dozens of products including floor mats, track and playground surfaces, roadway and construction applications, and can be used in just about any product that utilizes rubber. The use of used tires as a source of crumb rubber for synthetic turf is one of these emerging end-uses. The application of synthetic turf to a typical football field can use up to 100 tons of rubber. This rubber can be supplied through the processing of about 22,000 used tires. The CIWMB's program, funded by a fee on new tires sold in California, on average provides approximately $14 million annually for market development efforts for used tires. Most of this money goes out in the form of grants to assist with the purchase of products made from used tires to stimulate markets. The CIWMB has provided grants to local government agencies to install synthetic turf fields. The funds are also used to investigate emerging markets. 4)Emerging Issues: More Data Required on Crumb Rubber in Turf . Crumb rubber from tires inherently contains many potentially harmful constituents that are released when the tires are worn by everyday driving. Some of these constituents remain after the tire is no longer usable and can be present when they are processed for recycling and re-used in products. Arsenic, cadmium, chromium, zinc, and iron are often found in varying quantities in used tires. They have been also shown to release volatile organic compounds. As the author has indicated, the issue of staph infections, including MRSA (a strain that is particularly resistant to the common treatments from the penicillin family of antibiotics) and a possible relationship to synthetic turf has also arisen. There are competing bodies of work on these issues with a lack of scientifically significant conclusions. 5)Recommendations: Additional Areas of Study . The introduced version of this bill required DPH to prepare a health study on synthetic turf. The bill was amended to look just at the MRSA bacteria issue. However, it might be prudent at this time to investigate all issues surrounding the use of SB 1277 Page 4 synthetic turf. Also, since natural turf presents environmental and public safety effects through the use of pesticides, fertilizers and irrigation requirements, the study should include a comparison of synthetic turf to natural turf. Another topic of debate is the heat island effect of synthetic turf and its environmental effects that should also be investigated. 6)Efforts Elsewhere . New York has a bill pending, A09503, that would place a moratorium on the installation of synthetic fields for six months or until their Department of Public Health completes a report on synthetic turf. In Connecticut, their Department of Public Health is involved in the issue and has issued a fact sheet. In summary, while they do not believe there is a unique or significant health threat from chemical releases that can be inhaled or ingested, the uncertainties warrant further investigation. In San Francisco, the Recreation and Parks department in December 2005 published Natural and Synthetic Turf: A Comparative Analysis which pointed to the benefits of increased use of synthetic turf. However, in January 2007, their director of the Department of the Environment requested that the Recreations and Parks Department outline concerns similar to those being raised. 7)Double Referral to Rules Committee . Should this measure be approved by this committee, the do pass motion must include the action to re-refer the bill to the Senate Committee on Rules for further review. SOURCE : Senator Maldonado SUPPORT : None on file OPPOSITION : BAS Recycling, Inc. CRM Company Environmental Molding Concepts FieldTurf USA Francisco Heights Civic Association Rubber Manufacturers Association SB 1277 Page 5